Don't feel guilty over taking food shortcuts

Jan. 31, 2013

Written by

Karen Fernau
The Arizona Republic

Cooking from scratch -- coaxing roux into gravy, tomatoes into sauce or roasting a rosemary-scented chicken -- remains an admirable goal. But, really, who has the time?

Today, time-crunched cooks are more Sandra Lee of "semi-homemade" fame than Julia Child, more Italian-styled macaroni and cheese made with boxed ingredients than beef bourguignon made with 16 ingredients from scratch.

Many of us cheat nightly with a clear conscience, tossing salads with bottled dressing and making curry with store-bought sauce. We bake pizza with dough from the freezer, tomato sauce from cans and ...